biden. it is his third state of the union where he will lay out a second term agenda in his state of the union address. >> the white house is president biden will highlight post-covid economic recovery and layout plans to revamp the tax code. expand housing supplies and reduce the federal budget deficit he is also excited to use the address to announce new humanitarian assistance for gaza that includes plans to establish a temporary peer off the coast would serve as a u.s. military port for delivery of human entering aid to gaza. we are expecting to hear how the president has worked to get more money in american's pockets and how he is helped cancel student loan debt and lowered the cost for perception drugs such you can see supreme court just tonight, president biden on the state of our union. the president sent to address a bitterly

divided congress outlining the challenges facing americans at home and abroad >> the war in ukraine now at a critical crossroads while fears remain of a wider war spreading in the middle east. >> here at home despite an improving economy, americans under pressure with the cost of living and still stubbornly high. plus, growing tensions over some key issues including immigration and abortion rights. >> with eight months until the general election and his approval rating under water, can the president make the case that the state of the union is strong? >> announcer: from nbc news, president biden's state of the union, live from washington here are lester holt and savannah guthrie >> good evening and welcome, everyone, to our nbc news coverage of president biden's state of the union address. >> tonight is a pivotal night for the president as he prepares to deliver what could be the most important speech of

his presidency. >> we are still eight months out from the general election, but with that rematch now set between him and former president trump tonight might be the president's best chance to get his message out there. >> members of congress already assembled on the house floor. the message expected to address the most critical issues the country is facing including immigration, the economy and, of course, two wars raging overseas. >> ryan nobles is inside the chamber what are you seeing as folks continue to file their way in. >> reporter: we're already seeing members of congress displaying messages that they want the world to see even though they're not going to have a voice in the room here tonight, they want to make sure the policy issues they care about are front and center among them you see a sea of write this is women from the democratic caucus. they decided to band together to wear white in representation of women's rights afternoon in particular reproductive right, something else to look for tonight is that some members pumpsly

wearing yellow and blue to show their ongoing support of ukraine and, of course, the push for that supplemental aid package to pass at some point we're also noticing republicans in the crowd today, many of them wearing white ribbons. this is their way of demonstrating their concerns about the ongoing border crisis and violence they believe is associated with it. some also displaying pins with the name of laken riley, that woman allegedly murdered by an undocumented immigrant. you know, lester and savannah, it's important to point out the president is entering tonight what is really one of the most partisan house chambers in a generation there's, of course, only just a few votes separating republicans and democrats. those slim margins make it really difficult for congress to get anything of substance accomplished and because partisanship is at an all-time high there is, of course, the possibility of the president being heckled by members of his opposing party and although the new speaker, mike johnson, will be sitting behind the president for the first time

he's only been in the job for a couple of months he has instructed his members to abide by the house rules and he's told them to display what he calls decorum. the other thing we'll be looking for tonight, lester and savannah, there will be several guests in the gallery who represent various causes they have have been invited by members of congress or the white house. among them the families of the american hostages that are still being captive and held captive in gaza and caught up in that conflict between hamas and israel and, of course, we do expect the conflict in the middle east to be a key focus tonight. we do know that the president will address the situation but as we talk about protesters, there's also that possibility that an individual member maybe of the president's own party or perhaps one of their guests attempts to stage some sort of protest to put pressure on president biden to work to bring an end to the war and, of course, the humanitarian crisis that is playing out there in the middle east and then we should also not forget that all of this comes against the backdrop

of the ongoing impeachment inquiry that was launched by house republicans. they've been, of course, investigating the president's family this has been an investigation that's been going on for months the president's son recently testifying in front of the impeachment inquiry committees, now the white house has dismissed this all as a sham, even some house republicans have, of course, said that this has failed to deliver the evidence necessary but it's something to keep in the back of your mind, there are many of these members that believe he should be impeached even though at this point they've yet to demonstrate the evidence that would rise to the level of high crimes and misdemeanors so, we do expect the president in this chamber very shortly at point members are just milling about having conversations with each other. catching up as they prepare for this moment it's interesting we were in the chamber early around 3:00 and there were already members lining up to get those key coveted seats along the aisle

where the president will walk in to get that moment. be seen on national television >> it's the most coveted seat in politics and we'll see it on full display when the president enters in a couple minutes. >> quite a contrast in the number of people and the people we're seeing including george santos. >> an expelled member of congress who is still as a former member of congress not convicted of a crime has a right to be there on the house floor and has decided to come tonight. no invitation necessary so he's there, one of the many story lines we see developing on the floor. >> and the timing is coming two days after super tuesday. a prime moment the president has to really get his message out there to respond to the darker view of america and that republicans have been offering we want to bring in our chief white house correspondent peter alexander. what can we expect from the president. >> reporter: this is

the starting gun on the 2024 campaign as a senior aide to the president described to me i think there's a couple of things to keep an eye on this is a night filled with challenges and opportunities. the challenge here, of course, the president facing low approval ratings. many americans have questions, real concerns and concerns about his age, his physical and mental health right now. but it's an opportunity because the president has accomplished in the eyes of the white house a lot since coming to office. that's why they're going to try to frame this as a comeback story of sorts. january of 2021, more americans died to covid that month more than any other during the course of the pandemic, more than 105,000 americans. yet, the economy has been growing in the time since. the president will tout the strong job growth and that inflation is two-thirds of what

it was at its peak. the white house's primary focus tonight is on what the president has delivered for the american people. i'm told by a senior aide this evening that the president right out of the gates is going to focus specifically on the topic of democracy, not just around the world, including in places like ukraine, but here at home the threat that's posed by the potential of another trump presidency, the topic of reproductive rights is going to be key with a key individual in the first lady's box this evening being someone whose family benefitted from ivf. another one whose family sued the state of texas for its near-total abortion ban. finally, of course, is the issue of the economy as well. the president will sharply contrast his vision, his time in office to that of his predecessor, though he may not refer to his name. on that topic, the president is going to say my lifetime has

taught me to embrace freedom and democracy, to give hate no safe harbor. now some other people my age see a different story, a story of revenge and retribution. that is not me. just one of the contrasts the president is expected to make. >> peter, thank you. to set the scene, we see former speaker nancy pelosi, members of congress mixing and mingling with members of the cabinet, supreme court justices that have assembled. we await the state of the union, one of the storied traditions of our democracy. the president addressing the nation in just a few moments. he's left the white house. we expect him to enter that chamber at any moment. by tradition, he'll be announced, then he will enter. we'll have applause and have a moment to keep chatting. for that, we turn to our moderator of "meet the press" kristen welker. when you talk about a state of

the union, it's so often in past years about policy. it certainly will be tonight. president biden needs to lay out what he would do with a second term. but it is also about performance tonight. there are questions about his age that show up in poll after poll. it is no credit how he performs tonight is as key as anything he says from that podium. >> savannah, you hit the nail on the head. this is an extraordinary moment for that very reason. yes, we're going to be paying attention to all of his policies and proposals, but everyone is going to be focused on his performance. last june, he was widely seen giving a strong and robust speech in part because when republicans heckled at him, he turned it around. he flipped it on its head. the first lady is entering the

chamber. >> we know the white house has been preparing for some jeering from republicans, even though the house speaker has encouraged his conference not to do that. >> we'll pause for a moment as the president is about to be introduced. >> mr. speaker, the president's cabinet. [ applause ] >> as we wait for the president, there's always the question will the president be on the defense about immigration and the economy or take the ultimate view in a positive and affirmative case? >> i think you'll see both. i can tell you conversations i've had with sources close to

the biden campaign, he really looks to flip the script. he's got tens of millions of eyeballs on him tonight. he wants to point out, hey you could have passed a bipartisan border security bill and congress would not. i spoke with a member of republican leadership in the room tonight who suggested that may not be the most effective line of attack for the president. republicans have been going at him about the humanitarian crisis at the border. for one of the first times we are seeing immigration as the number one issue that affects people. i was texting with a democratic member of congress in the room. i asked the person how they were feeling. they said, i'm excited but a little bit anxious, because

there's a lot riding on the president's performance. >> he was at camp david this weekend. we've been told he's been going over it with a fine-toothed comb really looking at every single word. he knows how important this is. >> he knows the stakes of this moment. he has been making the case against donald trump in recent weeks. tonight is his night to make the case for joe biden, to counter the critics who say he doesn't have it in him to serve another four years. i also think there is a political challenge here. he's got to energize the base tonight. he's got to do that. but he also has to reach across the aisle to the nikki haley independent voters, moderates. those are the types of voters -- [indiscernible] >> donald trump said i don't need those voters.

>> in a statement he did say if you want to join my movement, you may, but he was not moving in their direction. he said feel free to move in my direction. it raises the political question which is really interesting. do you perceive this about turning out your base? is the enthusiasm on the left against trump more than it's for biden? does that create an opportunity for biden to move to the center more to capture the independents, the suburban moms, the swing voters who decide so many elections? >> the progressives to his left are not going to find donald trump more palatable than joe biden however they are concerned about some of the issues like the handling of the israel/hamas war. it's a turnout election. the margins are so close that you have to appeal to those suburban moms in those swing battleground states.

that's going to be critical. now that we are hitting the general election full swing this week, he is fact checking or at least responding to some of the things the president is saying. >> it's a rematch of 2020. now we know it's not a replay. things are different four years later. >> things are very different. first of all, former president trump is facing indictments. his first criminal trial gets under way later this month. that is a massive difference. in the primary, it has emboldened him. it's allowed him to galvanize republican voters around him. here's what's also different. during the last election cycle, candidate biden was never trailing president trump. very different situation this time around.

we'll show you the battleground states. that's based on my conversations with the president's allies. >> the idea of losing the narrative. in this case, a lot of his supporters think he's been slow to respond. >> that's right. they say he hasn't shown enough urgency. i was speaking to some of his allies today who said tonight you're going to see that urgency. everything starts tonight. >> voters want to see he has the pep in his step. immigration is right up there. it's the economy, stupid, has been the political cliche since the '90s. now it's the economy and it's immigration. but the economy is such an interesting picture, because as you well know, so many of the metrics show an improving economy, and yet people don't say they feel it. it comes down to inflation and

specifically the grocery store. >> absolutely. the state of the american economy is strong. this should be a big advantage in the state of the union address. but the state of the american psyche is skeptical or exhausted, depending who you talk to. exhausted by the three years of higher inflation. inflation is moderating. you'll hear the president say that today. >> mr. speaker, the president of the united states. [ cheers and applause ]

[ applause ] [ applause ]

[ indiscernible conversations ] >> he still has a lot of friends and acquaintances, and he will take his time making his way, greeting virtually anyone along the way. >> i'm so struck by it, because more than anywhere in washington, the house of congress is where joe biden feels at home, having spent literally decades in congress and also having run for president three times, you can imagine joe biden is relishing every single minute. this is the joe biden that so many people are familiar with. the glad handing, the chitchatting, he's enjoying this moment. it's so interesting. we talk about both sides of the aisle. we have the president in the aisle talking with republicans. those are some republican members. obviously that's chuck schumer behind him. this is a place where he does

have a level of comfort. it's always interesting looking at these live feeds, the way you saw the cabinet members come in. you can see secretary mayorkas getting greeted by democratic members as he is facing so much fire. there's a lot of drama in this room. there's some tension. look at this shot. marjorie taylor greene right behind him. >> with a maga hat and buttons. >> laken riley is the woman who was killed at the university of georgia not long ago. it's become a flashpoint for

many republicans. republicans have gone so far as to suggest president biden has blood on his hands with her death. >> the picture of that young woman who was tragically killed. [indiscernible] >> talk about relishing the moment. the exit last year was 20 minutes. >> members of congress will snap a selfie or perhaps in the case of marjorie taylor greene to have that moment.

there's joe manchin. >> joe manchin of west virginia, a democrat. i go back to what we were saying. joe biden has spent a lot of time in these chambers. this is where he is most comfortable. >> secretary blinken has spent weeks, months, overseeing trying to secure a deal to get the hostages released in the israel war against hamas. they have not been able to reach that deal. that looms large. >> there may be some policy announcements this very night on

that issue, because this is obviously a huge international issue, political issue for president biden as well as many young voters, many voters on the progressive left are dismayed at the president's whole hearted support for israel. >> this is one of the most complicated policy issues this administration faces. we anticipate he's going to announce a new ramped-up military effort to get aid into gaza. that is going to be significant. >> you hear a chant. i'm going to ryan nobles in the chamber. ryan, are you hearing "four more years"? how are your powers of hearing? >> reporter: hopefully i can hear a little bit better in the actual room.

yes, it does appear the president is makes his way to the joint chiefs of staff. just greeted members to have the supreme court. the democratic members were chanting "four more years" and clapping loudly for the president. it's interesting. it's really stark to see him in a room like this where he is so great one on one. that is what president-elect biden -- president biden is known for. when he's having a conversation with someone, he makes that person feel like the most important person in the room. even in a venue like this, where he has cameras staring at him, millions of people watching all over the world, he takes a moment with each and every person that he sees as he makes his way down the aisle and has that moment with them. it's like he's seeing a friend he hasn't seen in a long time and is sharing that moment with

him. just to get back to that moment with marjorie taylor greene coming down the aisle. we could see her don her hat, clearly looking to have a viral moment. she also had her camera phone pointed at him the whole time. it didn't seem to bother the president at all. we couldn't tell from our vantage point whether he engaged with her or just walked by as he was trying to get her message to him. i imagine this is a frustration for the planners of the event here tonight. i don't know if they worked you have -- up enough time for him to have these conversations. >> he's taking the podium now.

[indiscernible] [ applause ]

[ laughter ] >> mr. speaker, madam vice president, members of congress, my fellow americans, in january 1941, franklin roosevelt came to this chamber to speak to the nation. he said, "i address you at a moment unprecedented in the history of the union." hitler was on the march. war was raging in europe. president roosevelt's purpose was to wake up congress and alert the american people that this was no ordinary time. freedom and democracy were under assault in the world. tonight, i come to this same chamber to address the nation. now, it's we who face that unprecedented moment in the history of the union. yes, my purpose tonight is to wake up the congress and alert

the american people this is no ordinary moment either. not since president lincoln and the civil war have freedom and democracy been under assault at home as they are today. what makes our moment rare is that freedom and democracy are under attack both at home and overseas at the very same time. overseas, putin and russia is on the march invading ukraine and sowing chaos throughout europe and beyond. if anyone in this room thinks putin will stop at ukraine, i assure you he will not. [ applause ] >> but ukraine can stop putin. ukraine can stop putin. if we stand with ukraine and provide the weapons, the means

to defend itself. [ applause ] >> that is all, that is all ukraine is asking. they're not asking for american soldiers. in fact, there are no american soldiers in the war in ukraine, and i'm determined to keep it that way. but now, assistance to ukraine is being blocked by those who want to walk away from our world leadership. it wasn't long ago when a republican president named ronald reagan thundered, mr. gorbachev, tear down this wall! [ applause ] >> now, my predecessor, a former republican president tells putin, quote, do whatever the hell you want.

that's a quote. the former president actually said that, bowing down to a russian leader. i think it's outrageous. it's dangerous and it's unacceptable. [ applause ] >> america is a founding member of nato, the military alliance of democratic nations created after world war ii to prevent war and keep the peace. and today we've made nato stronger than ever, welcomed finland to the alliance last year. and just this morning, sweden officially joined, and their minister is here tonight. stand up. [ applause ] welcome, welcome, welcome, welcome.

[ applause ] >> and they know how to fight. mr. prime minister, welcome to nato, the strongest military alliance the world has ever seen. i say this to congress, we have to stand up to putin. send me a bipartisan national security bill. history is literally watching. history is watching you. the united states walks away, it will put ukraine at risk. europe is at risk. the free world will be at risk, emboldening others to do us harm. my message to president putin, who i've known for a long time is simple. we will not walk away! [ applause ] >> we will not bow down!

i will not bow down! in a literal sense, history is watching. history is watching. just like history watched three years ago on january 6th, when insurrectionists stormed this very capitol and placed a dagger at the throat of american democracy. many of you were here on this darkest of days. we all saw with our own eyes the insurrectionists were not patriots. they'd come to stop the peaceful transfer of power. january 6th lies about the 2020 election and the plot to steal the election posed the gravest threat to u.s. democracy since the civil war. but they failed! america stood. [ applause ]

>> america stood strong, and democracy prevailed. i must be honest. the threat to democracy must be defended. my predecessor and some of you here seek to bury the truth about january 6th. i will not do that. this is a moment to speak the truth and to bury the lies. here's the simple truth. you can't love your country only when you win. [ cheers and applause ] >> as i've done ever since being elected to office, i ask all of you without regard to party to join together and defend democracy. remember your oath of office, defending against all threats,

foreign and domestic. respect free and fair elections, restore trust in our institutions, and make clear political violence has no place, no place in america, zero place. [ applause ] >> again, it's not hyperbole to suggest history is watching. they're watching. your children and grandchildren will read about this day and what we do. history is watching another assault on freedom. vicking us is victoria beasley, a social worker from birmingham, alabama. 14 months ago she and her husband welcomed a baby girl thanks to the miracle of ivf. she scheduled treatments to have that second child. but the alabama supreme court shut down ivf treatments across the state, unleashed by a supreme court decision overturning roe v wade. she was told her dream would have to wait.

what her family has gone through should never have happened. unless congress acts, it could happen again. tonight, let's stand up for families like hers. to my friends across the aisle, don't keep this waiting any longer. guarantee the right to ivf! guarantee it nationwide! [ applause ] >> like most americans, i believe roe v wade got it right. i thank vice president harris for being an incredible leader defending reproductive freeom and so much more. [ applause ] >> my predecessor came to office determined to see roe v wade overturned. he's the reason it's overturned, and he brags about it.

look at the chaos that has resulted. joining us tonight is kate cox, a wife and mother from dallas. she's become pregnant again and had a fetus with a fatal condition. her doctor told kate that her own life and her ability to have children in the future were at risk if she didn't act, because texas law banned her ability to act. kate and her husband had to leave the state to get what she needed. what her family went through should have never happened as well. but it's happening to too many others. there are state laws banning the freedom to choose, criminalizing doctors, forcing survivors of rape and incest to leave their states to get the treatment they need. many of you in this chamber and my predecessor are promising to make a national ban on reproductive freedom. look, the decision to overturn roe v wade, the supreme court

majority wrote the following, with all due respect justices, women are not without electoral or political power. you're about to realize just how much. [ cheers and applause ] >> clearly, clearly, those bragging about overturning roe v wade have no clue about the power of women, but they found out when reproductive freedom was on the ballot and we won in 2022 and we'll win again in 2024. [ applause ]

>> if you, the american people, send me to congress to enforce the right to choose, i promise you i'll restore roe v wade as the law of the land again. [ applause ] >> folks, america cannot go back. i'm here tonight to show what i believe is the way forward, because i know how far we've come. 40 years ago next week, before i came to office, the country was hit by the worst pandemic and the worst economic crisis in a century. remember the fear? record losses, remember the spikes in crime and the murder rate, the raging virus that took more than 1 million american lives of loved ones and millions left behind? the mental health crisis of isolation and loneliness. the president, my predecessor failed the most basic

presidential duty that he owes to the american people, the duty to care. i think that's unforgivable! i came to office determined to get us through one of the toughest periods in the nation's history. we have. it doesn't make news, but in a thousand cities and towns the american people are writing the greatest comeback story never told. [ applause ] >> so let's tell the story here. tell it here and now. america's comeback is building the future of american possibilities, building the economy from the middle out and the bottom up, not the top down, investing in all america and all americans to make sure everyone has a fair shot and we leave no one behind. the pandemic no longer controls our lives. the vaccine has saved us from covid. they are now being used to beat

cancer, turning setback into comeback. that's what america does. that's what america does. [ applause ] >> folks, our economy was on the brink. now our customer is literally the envy of the world. 15 million jobs in three years, a record. unemployment at 50-year lows. a record 16 million americans are starting small businesses. each one is a little act of hope. with historic job growth and small business growth for black and hispanic and asian americans, 800,000 new manufacturing jobs in america and counting. where is it written we can't be the manufacturing capital of the world? we are, we will!

more people have health insurance today than ever before. the racial wealth gap is as small as it's been in 20 years. wages keep going up. inflation keeps coming down. inflation has dropped from 9% to 3%, the lowest in the world and trending lower. [ applause ] >> the landing is and will be soft. and now, instead of importing foreign products and exporting american jobs, we're exporting american products and creating american jobs, right here in america where they belong. [ applause ] >> and it takes time, but the american people are beginning to feel it. studies show consumer confidence is soaring. buy america has been the law of

the land since the 1930s. past administrations, including my predecessor and some democrats as well in the past failed to buy american. not anymore. on my watch, federal projects that you fund, like helping build american roads, bridges and highways, will be made with american products and built by american workers. [ applause ] >> creating good-paying american jobs. and thanks to our chips and science act, the united states is investing more in research and development than ever before. through the pandemic, a shortage of semiconductors, chips that drove up the price of everything from cell phones to automobiles, by the way, we invented those chips right here in america. so instead of having to import them, private companies are now investing billions of dollars to

build new chip factories here in america, creating tens of thousands of jobs, many of those jobs paying $100,000 a year and don't require a college degree. [ applause ] >> in fact, my policies have attracted $650 billion in private sector investment, in clean energy, advanced manufacturing, creating tens of thousands of jobs here in america. [ applause ] >> thanks to our bipartisan infrastructure law, 46,000 new projects have been announced all across your communities. by the way, i notice some of you strongly voted against it, but they're cheering on that money coming in. i like it. i'm with you.

i'm with you. because if any of you don't want that money in your district, just let me know. modernize the roads and bridges, ports and airports, public transit systems, removing poisonous lead pipes so every child can drink clean water without risk of brain damage. providing affordable high-speed internet for every american no matter where you live, urban, suburban, rural communities in red states and blue states, record investment in family farms led by my secretary of agriculture who knows more about that than anybody i know. the farms are better able to stay in the family and their children and grandchildren won't have to leave home to make a living. it's transformative. the great comeback story is

belvedere, illinois, home to an auto plant for nearly 60 years. before i came to office, the plant was on its way to shutting down. thousands of workers feared for their livelihoods. hope was fading. i was elected to office and we raced to belvedere with unions that would make all the difference. the uaw worked like hell to keep the plant open and get these jobs back. together we succeeded. instead of auto factories shutting down, auto factories reopening and state of the art factories being built to power those cars. [ applause ] >> the folks in belvedere, i say instead of your town being left behind, your community is moving forward again. instead of watching auto jobs in the future go overseas, 4,000

union jobs with higher wages are building the future in belvedere right here in america. [ applause ] >> here tonight the uaw president shawn fain, a great union leader and a great friend. shawn, where are you? stand up. [ applause ] >> and dawn sims, a third-generation uaw worker from belvedere. shawn, i was proud to be the first president to stand on the picket line. and today dawn has a good job in her hometown, providing stability for her family and pride and dignity as well, showing once again wall street didn't build america. they're not bad guys. they didn't build it, though. the middle class built the country. and unions built the middle class.

[ applause ] >> i say to the american people, when america gets knocked down, we get back up. we keep going. that's america! that's you, the american people. it's because of you america's coming back. it's because of you our future is brighter. it's because of you that tonight we can proudly say the state of our union is strong and getting stronger. [ applause ] >> four more years! four more years! four more years!

four more years! >> tonight, i want to talk about the future of possibilities that we can build together, a fiduciary where the days of trickle-down economics are over and the wealthy and the biggest corporations no longer get all the tax breaks. by the way, i understand corporations. i come from a state that has more corporations than every one of your states in the united states combined. i was a representative for 36 years. i'm not anti-corporation. but i grew up in a home where trickle-down economics didn't put much on my dad's kitchen table. when the middle class does well, the poor have a way up and the wealthy still do well. we all do well. there's more to do to make sure you're feeling the benefits of all we're doing. americans pay more for prescription drugs than anywhere in the world. it's wrong, and i'm ending it!

[ applause ] >> there's a law that i proposed and signed, not one of your republican buddies voted for it. we finally beat big pharma. instead of paying $400 a month or thereabouts for insulin with diabetes that only costs $10 to make and they only get paid $35 a month now and still make a healthy profit. [ applause ] >> next, i want to cap the cost of insulin at $35 for every american who needs it, every one. for years, people have talked about it, but finally we got it done and gave medicare the power to negotiate lower prices on prescription drugs, just like the va is able to do for

veterans. that's not just saving seniors money. it's saving taxpayers money. we cut the federal debt by $160 billion. because medicare will no longer have to pay those exorbitant prices to big pharma. this year, medicare's negotiating lower prices for some of the costliest drugs on the market that treat everything from heart disease to arthritis. it's time to go further and give medicare the power to negotiate prices for 500 different drugs over the next decade. they're making a lot of money, guys. and they'll still be extremely profitable. it will not only save lives, it will save taxpayers another $200 billion. starting next year, the same law caps total prescription drug

costs for seniors on medicare at $2,000 a year even for expensive cancer drugs that cost 10, 12, $15,000. i want to cap prescription drug costs at $2,000 a year for everyone. [ applause ] >> folks, i'm going to get in trouble for saying that, but i'll get in air force one and fly to toronto, berlin, well, even moscow probably and bring your prescription with you. i promise you i'll get it for you for 40% of the cost you're paying now. same company, same drug, same place. folks, the affordable care act, obamacare, it's still a very big deal.

[ applause ] >> over 100 million of you can no longer be denied health insurance because of preexisting conditions. my predecessor and many in this chamber want to take those prescription drugs away by repealing the affordable care act. i'm not going to let that happen. [ cheers and applause ] >> we stopped you 50 times before, and we'll stop you again! in fact, i'm not only protecting it, i'm expanding it. we enacted tax credits of $800 per person per year to reduce health care costs for millions of working families. that tax credit expires next year. i want to make that savings permanent. to state the obvious, women are

more than half of population, but research on women's health has always been underfunded. that's why we're launching the first-ever white house initiative on women's health research, led by jill, doing an incredible job as first lady. passed my plan for $12 billion for women's health research to benefit millions of lives across america. i know the cost of housing is so important to you. inflation keeps coming down. mortgage rates will come down as well, and the fed acknowledges that. but i'm not waiting. i want to provide an annual tax credit that will give americans $400 a month for the next two years as mortgage rates come down to put toward their mortgages when they buy their first home or trade up for a

little more space. that's for two years. [ applause ] >> and my administration is also eliminating title insurance on federally-backed mortgages. when you refinance your home, you can save $1,000 or more as a consequence. for millions of renters, we're cracking down on big landlords who break anti-trust laws by price fixing and driving up rents. we've cut red tape so builders can get federal financing, which is already helping build a record 1.7 million new housing units nationwide. now build and renovate 2 million

affordable homes and bring those rents down. [ applause ] >> to remain the strongest economy in the world, we need to have the best education system in the world. and i, like i suspect all of you, want to give a child, every child, a good start by providing access to preschool for 3 and 4 year olds. you know, i think i kindergarte

grade hearing a million fewer words. studies show children who go to preschool are 50% more likely to finish high school and go onto earn a two or four-year degree, no matter what their background is. [ applause ] >> i met a year and a half ago with leaders of a business roundtable. they were discussing why i wanted to spend money on education. i pointed out to them, as vice president, i met with 182 of those folks. don't hold me to the exact number. i asked them what they need most, the ceos. they say a better educated workforce. so i looked at them and i say, i come from delaware. dupont used to be the eighth

largest corporation in the world. every new enterprise they bought, they educated the workforce for that enterprise. but none of you do that anymore. why are you angry with me for providing you the opportunity for the best educated workforce in the world? they all looked at me and said, i think you're right. i want to expand high-quality tutoring and summer learning to see that every child learns to read by third grade. i'm also connecting local businesses and high schools so students get hands-on experience and a path to good-paying jobs whether or not they go to college. i want to make sure that college is more affordable. let's continue increasing the pell grants to working and middle class families and

increase record investments in hbcus and high minority-serving institutions, including hispanic institutions. i fixed two student loan programs that already existed to reduce the burden of student debt for more than 4 million americans, including nurses, firefighters and others in public service. [ applause ] >> like keenan jones, a public educator from minnesota. he's educated hundreds of students so they can go to college. now he's able to help after getting his own daughter to college. [ applause ] >> folks, look, it's good for the economy because folks are now able to buy a home, start a

business, start a family. while we're at it, i want to give public schoolteachers a raise. [ applause ] >> by the way, the first couple years we cut the deficit. now, let me speak to the question of fundamental fairness for all americans. i've been delivering real results in fiscally responsible ways. we've already cut the federal deficit over a trillion dollars. i signed the bipartisan deal to cut another trillion dollars in the next decade. it's my goal to cut the federal deficit another 3 trillion by making big corporations finally beginning to pay their fair

share. look, i'm a catholic. you want to make millions and millions of bucks? that's great. just pay your fair share in taxes. a fair tax code is how we invest things and make this country great, health care, education, defense and so much more. here's the deal. the last administration enacted a $2 trillion tax cut, overwhelmingly benefitting the top 1%, the very wealthy and the biggest corporations and exploded the federal deficit. they added more to the national deficit than any presidential term in american history. check the numbers. folks at home, does anybody really think the tax code is fair? do you really think the wealthy and big corporations need another $2 trillion tax break? >> no! >> i sure don't.

i'm going to keep fighting like hell to make it fair. under my plan, nobody earning less than $400,000 a year will pay an additional penny in federal taxes, nobody, not one penny. and they haven't yet. in fact, the child tax credit i passed during the pandemic cut taxes for millions of working families and cut child poverty in half. restore that child tax credit! no child should go hungry in this country. the way to make the tax code fair is to make big corporations and the very wealthy begin to pay their fair share. remember in 2020, 55 of the biggest companies in america made $40 billion and paid zero in federal income tax. zero. not anymore. thanks to a law i wrote and we signed, big companies have to

pay a minimum of 15%. but that's still less than working people pay in federal taxes. it's time to raise corporate minimum tax to at least 21%. [ applause ] >> so every big corporation finally begins to pay their fair share. i also want to end tax breaks for big pharma, big oil, private jets, massive executive pay. they can pay them 20 million if they want, but deduct a million. end it now. there are 1,000 billionaires in america. you know what the average federal tax is for those billionaires? no. they're making great sacrifices. 8.2%. that's far less than the vast majority of americans pay. no billionaire should pay a lower federal tax rate than a teacher, a sanitation worker or

a nurse. [ applause ] >> i propose a minimum tax for billionaires of 25%, just 25%. you know what that would raise? that would raise $500 billion over the next ten years. imagine what that could do for america. imagine a future with affordable child care. imagine a future with paid leave, because no one should have to choose between working and taking care of their sick s.

many of my friends on the other side of the aisle want to put social security on the chopping block. if anyone here tries to cut social security or medicare or raise the retirement age i will stop you. [ applause ] >> the working people who built this country pay more into social security than millionaires and billionaires do. it's not fair. we have two ways to go. republicans can cut social security and give more tax breaks to the wealthy. that's the proposal. oh no. you guys don't want another $2 trillion tax cut? i kind of thought that's what your plan was. well, that's good to hear. you're not going to cut another $2 trillion for the super wealthy. that's good to hear. i'll protect social security and

make the wealthy pay their fair share. [ applause ] >> look, too many corporations raise prices to pad their profits, charging more and more for less and less. we'll crack down on corporations who engage in price gouging and deceptive pricing from food, to health care to housing. in fact, the snack companies think you won't notice if they change the size of the ball and put a hell of a lot fewer -- same size bag. put fewer chips in it. no, i'm not joking. it's called shrinkflation. pass bobby casey's bill and stop this. i really mean it! [ applause ]

>> you probably all saw that commercial on snicker's bars. you get charged the same amount and you got about, i don't know, 10% fewer snickers in it. look, i'm also getting rid of junk fees, those hidden fees at the end of your bill that are there without your knowledge. the biden administration announced we're cutting credit card late fees from $32 to $8. banks and credit card companies are allowed to charge what it costs them to instigate the collection. that's a hell of a lot more like $8 than $30. credit card companies don't like it, but i'm saving american families $20 billion a year with all the junk fees i'm eliminating.

folks at home, that's why the banks are so mad. there's $20 billion in profit. i'm not stopping there. my administration will propose rules to make cable, travel, utilities, online ticket sellers tell you the total price up front so there are no surprises. it matters. it matters. and so does this. in november, my team began serious negotiations with a bipartisan group of senators. the result was a bipartisan bill for the toughest set of border security reforms we've ever seen. oh, you don't think so? oh, you don't like that bill, huh? that conservatives got together and said was a good bill? i'll be darned. that's amazing. that bipartisan bill would hire 105,000 more security agents and officers, 100 more immigration judges to help tackle the back

load of 2 million cases, 4300 more asylum officers and new policies so they can resolve cases in six months instead of six years now. [ cheers and applause ] >> 100 more high-tech drug detection machines to significantly increase the ability to screen and stop vehicles smuggling fentanyl into america that's killing thousands of people. this bill would save lives and reorder the border. it would also give me and any new president emergency authority to shut down the border when the number of migrants at the border is overwhelming. the border patrol union has endorsed this bill. yeah, yeah. look at the facts.

i know you know how to read. [ applause ] >> i believe that given the opportunity for the majority in the house and senate, they would endorse the bill as well, the majority right now. but unfortunately, politics has derailed this bill so far. i'm told my predecessor called members of congress in the senate to demand they block the bill. he feels political win for me would be a political loser for him. it's not about him. it's not about me. i'd be a winner -- laken riley, an innocent young woman who was killed by an illegal. that's right. but how many thousands of people

are being killed by illegals? to her parentparents, i say my goes out to you, having lost children myself. i understand. look, if we change the dynamic at the border, people pay these smugglers $8,000 to get across the border, because they know if they get by and let into the country, it's six to eight years before they have a hearing. it's worth taking the chance. but if it's only six weeks, the idea is it's highly unlikely that people will pay that money and come all that way knowing they'll be able to be kicked out quickly. folks, i would respectfully suggest my republican friends owe it to the american people to get this bill done. we need to act now.

[ applause ] >> and if my predecessor is watching, instead of playing politics and pressuring members of congress to block the bill, join me in telling the congress to pass it. we can do it together. that's apparently what he will not do. i will not demonize immigrants saying they are poisoning the blood of our country. i will not separate families. i will not ban people because of their faith, unlike my predecessor on my first day in officer. secure the border, provide a pathway to citizenship for dreamers and so much more. but unlike my predecessor, i

know who we are as americans. we're the only nation in the world with the heart and soul that draws from old and new, home to native americans and ancestors who have been here for thousands of years, home to people from every place on earth. they came freely. some came in chains. some came when famine struck, like my ancestral family in ireland, some to flee persecution, to chase dreams that are impossible anywhere but here in america. that's america. and we all come from somewhere, but we're all americans. [ applause ] >> look, folks, it's a simple choice. we can fight about fixing the border, or we can fix it. i'm ready to fix it.

send me the border bill now! >> fix it! fix it! fix it! >> it's a transformational moment in history. happened 59 years ago today in selma, alabama. hundreds of foot soldiers for justice marched across the edmund pettus bridge, named after the grand dragon of the ku klux klan to claim their fundamental right to vote. they were beaten. they were bloodied and left for dead. our late friend and former colleague john lewis was on that march. we miss him! [ applause ] >> joining us tonight are other marchers, folks in the gallery and on the floor, including

betty mae known as the voice of selma, the daughter of gospel singers and preachers, she sang songs of prayer and protest on that bloody sunday to help shake the nation's congress. five months later the voting rights act passed and was signed into law. [ applause ] >> thank you. thank you, thank you, thank you. [ cheers and applause ] >> but 59 years later, there are forces taking us back in time. voter suppression, election subversion, unlimited dark money, extreme gerrymandering. john lewis was a great friend to many of us here, but if you truly want to honor him and all

those who marched with him, then it's time to do more than talk. pass the freedom to vote act! the john lewis voting rights act! [ applause ] >> and stop denying another core value of america, our diversity across american life. banning books, it's wrong. instead of erasing history, let's make history. i want to protect fundamental rights. pass the equality act. my message is the same. i have your back. pass the act for workers' rights. raise the federal minimum wage, because every worker has a right to a decent living, more than $7

an hour. we're also making history by confronting the climate crisis, not denying it. i don't think any of you think there's no longer a climate crisis. at least i hope you don't. i'm taking the most significant action ever on climate in the history of the world. i'm cutting our carbon emissions in half by 2030, creating tens of thousands of clean energy jobs, like the ibw workers installing electric vehicle charging stations. conserving 30% of america's land and waters by 2030, and taking action on environmental justice fenceline communities smothered by the legacy of pollution. pattered after the peace corps

and america corps, i'm launched when i took office. before i talk office, murder rates were up 30%. they went up. the biggest increase in history. it was then through my american rescue plan we made the largest investment in public safety ever. last year the murder rate saw the sharpest decrease in american history. violent crime fell to one of its lowest levels in more than 50 years. but we have more to do. we have to help cities invest in more community police officers,

more mental health workers. give communities the control to crack down on gun crime, retail crime and carjacking. keep building trust with police reform. i'm directing my cabinet to review the federal classification of marijuana and expunging thousands of convictions for mere possession. because no one should be jailed for simply using. take on crimes of domestic violence. i'm ramping up the federal enforcement of the violence against women act that i proudly wrote when i was a senator, so we can finally end the scourge against women in america. there are other kinds of violence i want to stop.

with us tonight is jasmine, whose 9-year-old sister jackie was murdered in uvalde, texas. very soon after that happened, jill and i went to uvalde for a couple days. we spent hours and hours with each of the families. we heard their message. so everyone in this room and this chamber could hear the same message. the constant refrain. they said, "do something, do something." i did do something by establishing the first ever office of gun violence prevention in the white house. the vice president is leading the charge. [ applause ] >> meanwhile, my predecessor

told the nra he's proud he did nothing on guns when he was president. after another shooting in iowa recently, he said, when asked what to do about it, he said "just get over it." i say stop it! stop it, stop it, stop it! i'm proud we beat the nra when i signed the most significant gun safety law in nearly 30 years because of this congress. we now must beat the nra again. i'm demanding a ban on assault weapons and high-capacity magazines. pass universal background checks! none of this, none of this -- i taught the second amendment for 12 years. none of this violates the second

amendment or viliies responsible gun owners . we're managing crisis abroad including in the middle east. i know the last five months have been gut wrenching for so many people, for the israeli people and the palestinian people and so many here in america. this crisis began on october 7th with the massacre by a terrorist group called hamas, as you all know. 1200 innocent people, women and girls, men and boys slaughtered after enduring sexual violence, the deadliest day for the jewish people since the holocaust and 250 hostages taken. here in this chamber tonight are families whose loved ones are still being held by hamas. i pledge to all the families that we'll not rest until we bring every one of your loved ones home.

[ applause ] >> we'll also work around the clock to bring home evan and paul, americans being unjustly detained by the russians and others around the world. israel has the right to go after hamas. hamas ended this conflict by releasing hostages, laying down arms, could end it by releasing the hostages, laying down arms and surrendering those responsible for october 7th. but israel has an added burden, because hamas hides and operates among the civilian population like cowards, under hospitals, daycare centers and all the like. israel also has a fundamental responsibility, though, to protect innocent civilians in gaza.

[ applause ] >> this war has taken the greatest toll on innocent civilians than all previous wars in gaza combined, more than 30,000 palestinians have been killed, most of whom are not hamas. thousands and thousands of innocent women and children, girls and boys also orphaned. more than 2 million palestinians under bombardment or displacement. homes destroyed, cities in ruin, families without food, water, medicine. it's heartbreaking. i've been working nonstop to establish an immediate ceasefire that would last for six weeks to get all the prisoners, all the hostages released. to get the hostages home and ease the intolerable humanitarian crisis and build toward something more enduring. the united states is leading international efforts to get

more humanitarian assistance to gaza. tonight i'm directing the military to lead an emergency mission to establish an emergency pier on the coast of gaza that can carry large shipments of food, water, medicine and temporary shelter. no u.s. boots will be on the ground. a temporary pier will enable a massive increase in humanitarian assistance getting into gaza every day. [ applause ] >> and israel must do its part. israel must allow more aid into gaza and ensure humanitarian workers aren't caught in the cross fire. they're announcing they're going to have a crossing in northern gaza. to the leadership of israel i say this, humanitarian assistance cannot be a secondary consideration or a bargaining chip. protecting and saving innocent

lives has to be a priority. as we look to the future, the only real solution to the situation is a two-state solution over time. [ applause ] >> and i say this. as a lifelong supporter of israel, my entire career no one has a stronger record with israel than i do. i challenge any of you here. i'm the only american president to visit israel in wartime. but there is no other path that guarantees israel's security and democracy. there's no other path that guarantees palestinians can live with peace and dignity. there's no other path that guarantees peace between israel and all of its neighbors, including saudi arabia, with whom i'm talking.

creating stability in the mid dle also means containing iran. i've ordered strikes to degrade the houthi capability and defend us forces in the region. as commander in chief, i will not hesitate to direct further measures to protect military personnel. [ applause ] >> for years i've heard many of my republican and democratic friends say that china is on the rise, and america is falling behind. they've got it backwards. i've been saying it for over four years, even when i wasn't president. america's rising. we have the best economy in the world. since i've come to office our gdp is up, our trade with china is down to the lowest point in over a decade, and we're standing up to china's unfair economic practices, standing up

for peace and stability across the taiwan straits. i've advised our partnership and alliance across the pacific, india, australia, japan, south korea, pacific islands, i've made sure the most advanced american technology can't be used in china, not allowing to trade there. frankly, for all his tough talk on china, it never occurred to my predecessor to do that. we're in a stronger position to win the conflict in the 21st century against china or anyone else for that matter than any time as well. here at home, i signed over 400 bipartisan bills. there's more to pass my unity agenda. strengthen penalties on fentanyl trafficking. you don't want to do that, huh? pass bipartisan progress to

protect our children online. harness the promise of ai to protect us from peril. ban ai voice impersonations and more. and keep our truly sacred obligation to train, equip those we send into harm's way and care for them and their families when they come home and when they don't. [ applause ] >> that's why i signed the pact act, one of the most significant laws ever, helping millions of veterans exposed to toxins who now are battling more than 100 different cancers. many of them don't come home, but we owe them and their families support. we owe it to ourselves to keep supporting our new health

research agency called arpah. and remind us that we can do big things, like end cancer as we know it. and we will. [ applause ] >> let me close with this. i know you don't want to hear anymore, lindsey, but i've got to say a few more things. i know it may not look like it, but i've been around a while. when you get to be my age, certain things become clearer than ever. i know the american story. again and again i've seen the contest between competing forces and the battle for the soul of our nation, between those who want to pull america back to the

past and those who want to move america into the future. my lifetime has taught me to embrace freedom and democracy, a future based on core values that have defined america, honesty, decency, dignity, equality, to respect everyone, to give everyone a fair shot, to give hate no safe harbor. other people my age see it differently. the american story of resentment, revenge and retribution. that's not me. i was born amid world war ii, when america stood for the freedom of the world. i screw up in scranton, pennsylvania, among working class people who built this country. i watched in horror as two of my heros dr. king and bobby kennedy were assassinated. their legacy inspired me to pursue a career in service. i left a law firm and became a

public defender because my city was the only city occupied by the national guard after dr. king was assassinated because of the riots. i became a county councilman almost by accident. i got elected to the united states senate when i had no intention of running at age 29. then vice presiden of our first black president, now president to the first woman vice president. [ applause ] >> in my career, i've been told i was too young. by the way, they didn't let me on the senate elevators for votes sometimes. not a joke. i've been told i'm too old.

whether young or old, i've always known what endures. i've known our north star. the very idea of americans, that we're all created equal, deserve to be treated equally throughout our lives, we've never fully lived up to that idea, but we've never walked away from it either. and i won't walk away from it now. i'm optimistic. i really am. i'm optimistic, nancy. [ applause ] >> four more years! four more years! >> my fellow americans, the issue facing our nation isn't how old we are. it's how old are our ideas. hate, anger, revenge, retribution are the oldest of ideas, but you can't lead america with ancient ideas. it will only take us back. you need america, the land of possibilities.

you need a vision for the future and what can and should be done. tonight you've heard mine. i see a future where defending democracy, you don't diminish it. i see a future to restore the right to choose and protect our freedoms, not take them away. i see a future where the middle class finally has a fair shot and the wealthy have to pay their fair share in taxes. i see a future where we save the planet from the climate crisis and our country from gun violence. above all, i see a future for all americans. i see a country for all americans. i will always be president for all americans, because i believe in america. i believe in you, the american people.

you're the reason we've never been optimistic about our future than i am now. so let's build the future together. let's remember who we are. we're the united states of america! and there is nothing, nothing beyond our capacity when we act together. god bless you all, and may god protect our troops! thank you, thank you, thank you. [ cheers and applause ] >> president biden addressing the joint session of congress in the state of the union, the final one of this term. his vision for the future and also an argument for four more years, a chant that was heard by democrats throughout the speech, which lasted a little over an hour, an hour and nine minutes. it was energetic and optimistic. and the president clearly trying to draw a contrast with the individual he calls his

predecessor on many, many occasions, never by name, but everyone knows who he meant. his opponent in this next election, donald trump. >> not a lot of preamble in his speech. he went right at it. first talking about freedom and democracy under attack, talking about january 6th, the lie he says poses a threat to u.s. democracy. i'm speaking truth to january 6th lies. and he says you can't let your country -- [indiscernible] then he went into roe v wade. >> only when you win, exactly. it seemed like he wanted to start with the theme of democracy, that democracy itself is under attack overseas and here at home. he had a muscular set of comments for vladimir putin, talking tough against the russian leader. >> let's listen to a little bit of his conversation.

[indiscernible] >> come on now! >> talking about democracy abroad and also here at home, mentioning january 6th, very high up in the speech. >> and there was some hecking from republicans. he seemed to relish those moments, seemed to be expecting those moments. >> as for the elephant in the room, his age, he took it own. there has been so much talk about his age, whether at 81 years old he is up to the job. this is something voters will be deciding, something voters have expressed concern about. he took on the issue saying in essence, i may be old, but i have experience and wisdom. he contrasted with, he said, other people his same age, referring not so subtly to

donald trump when he laid out his vision of america that is optimistic, and he tried to contrast with former president trump, saying he is laying out a vision of america that is dark and destitute. >> he's trying to turn his biggest political liability into an asset. he's trying to make the case that with age comes wisdom. about three-quarters of america have concerns about his age. words like combative, fiery, robust, democrat. he says that's exact wla this person wanted to see from the president tonight. this is a formal speech with the trappings of the presidency, but it's also coming as a kickoff to the general election. >> kristen welker, let's talk about the big topics tonight, immigration.

it has weighed this candidacy down. he comes out and turns it on its ear and says it's republicans. people have watched the crowds coming across the border. >> he effectively is taking a page out of this playbook of a harry truman who ran against a do-nothing congress. that's what we saw this president do tonight, effectively say we had a bipartisan bill on the table. it was scrapped at the direction of donald trump. that is energizing for the democratic base. we'll have to see if it helps him win over independents. he said her name. that's what marjorie taylor greene was urging him to do, about laken riley, the nursing student who was killed by someone potentially in the

country illegally. it was a defiant moment. >> so immigration is a big issue. it's risen to the top of many voters' concern list, the economy, the perennial issue that voters care about. christine romans, our senior business correspondent with us, what did you hear in this speech from the president? >> he's describing the american economy as a comeback. i think more americans are starting to agree with him on that. that might be why other issues are rising to the top of the polls and the economy is starting to slip a little bit in terms of top of mind. he's appealing to the american electorate that i'm there with you at your kitchen table. i'm trying to cut costs.

his predecessor was notorious for taking credit for the stock market. >> he talked about shrinkflation. he talked about capping late fees, things that really directly affect -- >> and insulin. they lowers insulin costs on his watch, and he wants to do that for all americans. he wants to expand how medicare can negotiate with drug companies. we have the highest health care costs in the world here in the united states. the united states is a big customer. he wants to leverage that. he mentioned several times he's a capitalist, but he really thinks he can turn the tables by --

[indiscernible] >> the campaign believes any time you go after billionaires for paying 8%, that's a winning argument. ryan nobles is there as the president makes the slow walk out of the chamber, shaking every hand that wants to shake his and greeting old colleagues in the senate. we know speaker johnson had instructed his conference not to lose their decorum. how was it in the room? >> reporter: i don't know how it trans la translated on television, but in this room partisanship was on full display. other than when the president entered the room and one other moment when he was talking about the late john lewis and the survivors that were here in the room from the selma blood sunday attack, republicans were sitting

on their hands for this entire speech, even during sections of the speech where you'd think they may have rallied to support some of the things the president was talking about, for instance, support for ukraine. there's a lot of republicans that believe that support should continue for ukraine. the issue of ivf, where many of these republican members have come out and said they were strongly in support of ivf despite what they saw play out in alabama. even in those moments you saw those republicans look at each other and clap halfheartedly or not clap at all. in terms of the hecklers, at one point one member in the back yelled "you lied" in relation to somebody president biden was talking about his predecessor. of course, marjorie taylor greene at multiple instances throughout the speech essentially making a spectacle of herself.

that was that moment, of course, marjorie taylor greene mentioning laken riley. you certainly saw a level of preparation from joe biden in this room. he seemed ready to take on any challenge that could come from a protester or a heckler in the audience. at one point there was another heckler removed from the gallery. the president didn't even acknowledge that. he was clearly prepared for any sort of disruption. the cadence of his speech never seemed to falter. he seemed to enjoy engaging with republicans at different points of the speech in trying to get across the point he was attempting to make. i don't think there's any doubt that a lot of us felt a level of tension before the speech started because of these concerns over how the speech could be interrupted. those tensions seemed to fade away as the speech continued to go on and the president demonstrated that he'd be able

to handle whatever was thrown his way. >> ryan, thanks very much. let's bring in david plum and steven hayes. david, there have been a lot of nail biting among democrats not knowing what to expect. in your view, how did the president do? >> i think for democrats writ large, they're going to be pretty enthused by this speech. i think it was one of the strongest performances joe biden had. i think performance mattered maybe more than the substance. there was energy there and he took the fight to republicans where that was appropriate. i think the base, which has been concerned about these polls, concerned about age, my guess is he'll go a long way to settling that down. of course it was probably one of the biggest direct audiences he'll have until the first debate, assuming we have one. it was important from that

standpoint as well. >> we've got steven hayes here as well. he's an nbc news contributor, a republican. steven, what do you make of this speech? do you think it reached across the aisle? that there are swing voters that are persuadable when we have both sides so polarized in their position. do you think president biden reached across to bring more people into his coalition? >> i agree with david. i think this was very much a speech to the base. the president made a couple of references to his unity agenda, but there wasn't much that would bring republicans along. i thought he had a difficult time trying to make the case that the country is strong. he said the state of our union is strong and getting stronger. he ended with a flourish of

optimism, but it seems to contrast with the central message of his campaign, which is that democracy is at stake. he mentioned his predecessor 13 times is an existential threat to the continuing existence of the united states. there's some tension between what he said in his speech tonight that i think sought to please the base and what he's saying more broadly in his campaign. >> let's go to correspondent richard engel right now in jordan watching. >> reporter: he made an announcement today saying that soon the u.s. military will be leading an effort to open this temporary pier in gaza so that large shipments of aid could be brought to the people of gaza. that is expected to be a process that is going to take several weeks to construct and could take several months to get up

and running properly. it will bring much more relief to the 2.3 million people of gaza. right now, very little aid is getting in, because israel has sealed gaza off as it continues to conduct its military campaign to drive hamas from power and free hostages. some of the aid that is going in now is being air dropped. i was on one of those air drops earlier today. that's why i'm in jordan. the air drops are being a sea lift would be far more effective, but people here in the region are wondering is there going to be a long-term solution as well. can the u.s. push its ally, israel, to come to a ceasefire? >> richard engel, thank you.

>> we are awaiting the president's exit from the chamber, where he's just delivered his state of the union address. soon after we'll hear the official response from the republicans given by katie britt of alabama. what an extraordinary moment tonight between the president and the members of the supreme court who were there in the audience. this was an ad libbed moment when i was talking about the decision, their decision to overturn roe v wade. he said in that decision, you state that women have political power and he says to the justices, you're about to find out how much. that was a moment. >> a striking one, savannah. a direct confrontation with the supreme court sitting right there. obviously it's a court that has a solid conservative majority,

thanks to former president trump. joe biden went right at them on probably the most controversial decision over the last generation, which of course is the overturning of roe v wade and dobbs. he's quoting their own language from the dobbs decision back to them. then as you mentioned, ad libbing a much more pointed and frankly aggressive comment about the political backlash that we have seen from dobbs. it's a theme, i think, that we saw him do so early in the speech. it was only a couple minutes in that the whole issue of abortion and reproductive freedom and ivf, which obviously has dominated the news cycle to. >> thank you.

>> i want to bring in peter alexander. let's continue to watch the president as he continues to shake hands and talk. he obviously enjoys the give and take here. what are you hearing from the white house circle in terms of their review of tonight? >> reporter: there was cheering and applause as the president was speaking tonight. the white house feels very good about where they are and where they're going in the weeks ahead with the president set to have an aggressive schedule of campaigning. beginning tomorrow with travel to pennsylvania, he'll head out of town this weekend to georgia. he's going to be on the road a lot over the course of the next several weeks. one moment that i overheard from the democrat jerry nadler to the president, he said, no one's going to call you cognitively impaired now. the president recognizing the urgency of this moment to

satisfy the concerns of some americans who had concerns about his mental and physical health. a lot of his allies believe the president more than met that bar. >> there was this nervousness among democrats as to how he would do. it's been the elephant in the room, frankly. he obviously feels he did well. >> you can almost hear the collective exhale. i dare say almost glee from the democrats that were in the building to see that punch and that feistiness in this feature. in just a moment we'll be back in just a moment we'll be back and we'll have the republican generalized myasthenia gravis made my life a lot harder. but the picture started changing when i started on vyvgart. ♪♪ vyvgart is for adults with generalized myasthenia gravis who are anti-achr antibody positive. in a clinical trial,

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>> (musica). mopping the floor, but the president continues to press the flesh. welcome back to our coverage of the president's state of the union address. >> alabama republican katie britt will deliver the republican response. back in the '80s, then senator biden gave the democratic response when he was in his 40s. now, let's see senator britt. >> good evening, america. my name is katie britt. i have the honor of serving the people of the great state of alabama and the united states senate. however, that's not the job that matters most. i am a proud wife and mom of two school-aged kids. my daughter bennett and my son ridgeway are why i ran for the senate. i'm worried about their future and the future of children in every corner of our nation.

that's why i invited you into our home tonight. like so many families across america, my husband wesley and i just watched president biden's state of the union address from our living room. and what we saw was the performance of a permanent politician, who has actually been in office for longer than i've been alive. one thing was quite clear, though. president biden just doesn't get it. he's out of touch. under his administration, families are worse off. our communities are less safe, and days.

it's where we laugh together, and it's where we hold each other's hands and pray for god's guidance. and many nights, to be honest, it's where wesley and i worry. i know we're not alone. so tonight the american family needs to have a tough conversation, because the truth is, we're all worried about the future of our nation. the country we know and love seems to be slipping away. it feels like the next generation will have fewer opportunities and less freedoms than we did. i worry my own children may not get a shot at living their american dreams. my american dream allowed me, the daughter of two small business owners from rural enterprise, alabama, to be elected to the united states senate at the age of 40. growing up, sweeping the floor at my dad's hardware store and cleaning the bathroom at my

mom's dance studio, i never could have imagined what my story would entail. to think about what the american dream can do across just one generation in just one lifetime, it's truly breathtaking. but right now, the american dream has turned into a nightmare for so many families. the true unvarnished state of our union begins and ends with this. our families are hurting. takin,

he suspended all deportations. he halted construction of the board wall, and he announced a plan to give amnesty to millions. we know that president biden didn't just create this border crisis. he invited it with 94 executive actions in his first 100 days. when i took office, i took a different approach. i traveled to the del rio sector of texas. that's where i spoke to a woman who shared her sto with me. she had been sex trafficked by the cartels starting at the age of 12. she told me not just that she was raped every day, but how many times a day she was raped. the cartels put her on a mattress in a shoe box of a

room, and they sent men through that door over and over again for hours and hours on end. we wouldn't be okay with this happening in a third world country. this is the united states of america, and it is past time, in my opinion, that we started acting like it. president biden's border policies are a disgrace. this crisis is despicable. the truth is, it is almost entirely preventible. from fentanyl poisonings to horrific murders, there are empty chairs tonight at kitchen tables just like this one because of president biden's

senseless border policies. just think about laken riley. in my neighbors state of georgia, this beautiful 22-year-old nursing student went out on a jog one morning, but she never got the opportunity to return home. she was brutally murdered by one of the millions of illegal border crossers president biden chose to release into our homeland. as a mom, i can't quit thinking about this. i mean, this could have been my daughter. this could have been yours. and tonight, president biden finally said her name, but he refused to take responsibility for his own actions.